Dr. Shafy has 40 years of experience in the semiconductor industry, working with ASIC, FPGA, Analog Mixed Signal, and Memory Technologies. As CEO of OpenFive, a SiFive BU, he managed a team of 350 employees developing custom chips, RISC-V core processors, and connectivity IP's for various applications. Prior to that, he held VP positions at Microsemi, Open Silicon, and Lightspeed Semiconductor, where he played important roles in the development of ASIC, SoC, and structured ASIC/FPGA products. Dr. Shafy holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and M.Sc., B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Cairo University.
Dr. Naveed Sherwani
Chairman
Dr. Naveed Sherwani is a well-known semiconductor industry veteran with over 30 years of entrepreneurial, engineering, and management experience. He is widely recognized as an innovator and leader in the field of design automation of ASICs and microprocessors and the main driver of the strategic evangelization of RISC-V International. Naveed has founded or co-founded over eleven silicon companies and raised over $850M in over 15 funding rounds from marquee venture capital firms during the course of his career. While serving as President, CEO, or Chairman, Naveed has been recognized as the leader of the “Most Respected Private Semiconductor Company” a record five times by the GSA (Global Semiconductor Alliance, the premier semiconductor industry membership body). He now serves as Chairman of GS Group, aiming to drive the next wave of silicon innovation by enabling growth strategies for semiconductor companies. Naveed also serves as the Chair the Open Source FPGA Foundation and is a Charter Member of notable Silicon Valley business forums such as TiE and OPEN. Dr. Naveed both a PhD and master’s degree in Computer Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a BE degree at NED University in Karachi, Pakistan. Naveed has also authored several books and over 100 articles on various aspects of VLSI physical design automation and ASICs.
Collin Lee
VP of APAC Business Development
A semiconductor and electronics manufacturing operations professional with diverse technical experience in IC manufacturing and international supply chain management in advanced technologies, wafer fabrication, packaging, test development, optimized product yield, quality, reliability, product/package qualification and product characterization, failure analysis and supply chain logistics. Career emphasis has been on ramping new products and technologies into production
George Apostol
CEO
George brings over 35 years of experience in the semiconductor industry, where he thrives as a deep technologist with strong business acumen, particularly in systems and silicon architecture. His executive tenure in both start-up and public semiconductor companies has seen him lead global teams and forge strategic partnerships. George's expertise is instrumental in propelling innovation within the semiconductor sector, making him a highly respected figure in the industry. Most recently, George served as CEO at Elastics.cloud until its successful acquisition by Broadcom, further solidifying his reputation as a respected industry leader driving growth within the semiconductor sector.
Jiebing Wang, PhD
VP Engineering, Use-Case Semi Group
Jiebing brings over 25 years of industry experience to the table, establishing himself as a seasoned technologist with a comprehensive skill set spanning ASIC, FPGA, SaaS, and system solutions. His expertise extends to data center software and hardware products, specializing in compression, security, networking, and CPUs. With a proven track record of success, Jiebing has effectively led world-wide engineering teams, driving innovation and delivering impactful solutions in the ever-evolving landscape of technology. Jiebing holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and an MSEE in VLSI from Stanford University.
Thao Nguyen
Advisory Board Member, Use-Case Semi Group
Thao boasts over 35 years of extensive industry experience, establishing himself as a prominent figure in hi-tech hardware design, product development, and manufacturing. Recognized as an industry leader, his expertise spans across various domains including compute, storage, servers, appliances, and data centers. Throughout his illustrious career, Thao has consistently demonstrated a remarkable ability to innovate and deliver cutting-edge solutions, shaping the landscape of technology and setting new standards for excellence in hardware design and manufacturing.
